


From Prayers to Hope

by RainbowRunway



Category: Kirby - All Media Types
Genre: Also this is unbeta'ed, And also spoilers for the beginning and ending of Heroes in Another Dimension, Camp Nanowrimo, Contains spoilers for the main story (specifically the end), Gen, God i love them so much, MOSTLY canon compliant (????), Written in 3rd person perspectives of the Mage Sisters, rated T for mild swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-06-03 04:24:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19456291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowRunway/pseuds/RainbowRunway
Summary: The Three Mage Sisters are a trio of long-lost siblings, saved from death and reunited by a mysterious traveler. Now, as the generals of the Jambastion Religion, each of them are conflicted about the fall of their liege, whom they swore loyalty to. They all have different thoughts about it. Moreover, following the initial fall of Void Termina, Hyness has been behaving oddly...what will happen?





	From Prayers to Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I am absolutely obsessed with Star Allies now, it is not a joke, and the Mage Sisters need more love. Thus this unbeta'ed mess was born.  
> This fic essentially tells the same/similar stories in separate "perspectives" of the three sisters, who are adopted siblings in this fic. It also takes place after the main story and right before the events of Heroes in Another Dimension. There may be spoilers, so take caution if you haven't played the game or HiAD yet!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

_"It's s-so c-c-cold...I've g-gotta find them..."_

_A young girl trudges through the heavy, almost ankle-deep snow, her long cerulean-blue hair furiously whipping to and fro with the wind. Her arms are weakly wrapped around her shivering body in a last-ditch attempt for warmth, she can't see much in the blistering cold. The sound of the howling blizzard assaults her ears at every step, further deters her from finding her other two siblings. The road seems endless, with no indication of where she might achieve her goal. The longer the girl wanders, the more she despairs. Snow that rushes past her face kills her line of vision, the sky painted a fading silver color._

_Her body trembles in the bitter cold, losing strength with each movement. No matter how she wills herself to keep going, it seems to have given up on everything already. The freezing weather had utterly sapped her of her strength, leaving her throat dry, hands and legs shaking. Though her only instinct is to keep moving, the snowstorm looks forward to seeing her suffer just a little more. It's only getting colder, and her sense of sight is failing her, seeing nothing but silver and white fiercely mixing together. Still, though, she won't give up. She straightens and continues walking. Even if she only has a little stamina left, she won't stop until it's completely gone._

_Her knees violently tremble, cold and weak, even as she's plodding forward. The weather's turned her breath into a misty white, and even just that seems to make everything colder. Slowly but surely, her HP bar is reaching zero, the blizzard doesn't care much for how badly she wants, no, needs to just take those steps forward. It's like a small part of her is slipping away with each new footprint left in the snow, and before long, she's unable to take anymore. Her knees buckle before she crumbles to the snow-covered ground._ _She can't get up anymore. It's not like her body would listen to her, even if she wanted to. With that thought in mind, she curls into a ball, hugging her legs for warmth as she freezes by the second, defeated by the harsh weather. She'd thought she could make it through._

_Apparently not._

_Tears run down her face uncontrollably, she wants this to be a nightmare. She wants to wake up in bed, where her sisters would pat her head and tell her it's alright. But this is reality, a fact she painfully accepts, as her grip on her legs tighten. Perhaps, she thinks, if she closes her eyes, one day, she'll see her sisters again. Her parents. That's all she wants. That's all she cares about._

_"F-Flamberge...Zan...I'll...s-see you soon..."_

_And before she knows it, all she sees fades from white to black._

_That is, until..._

_The peaceful embrace of nothingness is broken as the girl hears a distressed voice._

_"Oh dear, oh dear! What's a girl doing out here? I must help somehow..."_

_Her ears pick up on some strange chanting that grows louder and louder. She can't exactly identify the language, but to her, it sounds like a mix of English and some nonsensical-sounding words, though they sound more muffled than anything else. What does get her attention, though, is a comforting warmth. It's still cold as usual, the blizzard is still blowing strong, but oddly she feels...safe, rather than worried for her health. The feeling spreads through their body, revitalizing her arms, legs. She feels her strength returning to her, and as those sensations gently envelop her, her limbs tingly, she sits up and looks around. She's visibly confused by what stands before her, a creature wearing a white and gold robe, having a blue face, unnaturally large eyes, and a floppy nose. He lets out a sigh of relief, his smile gentle. "Thank goodness you're okay! When I found you, you were so pale, I was worried that I might've been too late."_

_"Thank you...but...who are you?"_

_"Please, just call me Hyness. What's your name?"_

_"I'm Francisca. But Mr. Hyness..." Francisca starts nervously, "I-I have to find my sisters. Do you know where they are...?"_

_"Juh? Your sisters? Hmm...what are their names?"_

_"Flamberge and Zan Partizanne."_

_"Zan Parmesan? No, that's not right. Zan Par...? Japologa, I can't seem to pronounce it properly," he shakes his head, "anyway, perhaps they are in other planets, just like you. Shall we look for them together?"_

_Francisca's face lights up and she nods excitedly. "Yes, please!"_

_She gets up, all ready to look for her siblings, heading in a random direction. As Hyness catches up to her, floating behind, he notices small, faint clouds of blue swirling around her hands, sparkles, snowflakes and ice moving within them. He grins. It seems that he had just awakened her talent in wielding ice magic..._

* * *

Floating down the dark, dreary hallways of the Jambandra Base, Francisca shakes her head in an attempt to chase the memories out of her head. How sudden, thinking of the way Hyness saved her in the middle of...nothing. But then, another thought finds its way into her mind - can her dear liege even be saved now? Though once he was kind, having taken her away from the arms of death, now it's like he's completely changed. No, he _definitely_ has changed, for the better or the worse, Francisca doesn't know. She grips the handle of her labrys harder as she makes twists and turns, navigating her way through the basement, ignoring the other workers. She doesn't exactly know what she's doing, going in circles, but now that she's thinking of Hyness and how he was back then, she can't focus on anything else.

It was just a little while after she and her sisters had reunited, and they were staying with Hyness for the time being. Occasionally, Hyness would make odd sounds, from grunting to senseless snorting while flinging his arms in various directions. They didn't think much of it, that he was just being funny. They had no idea what to do, anyway. Not even Zan knew what was going on with their rescuer. Eventually, the mere sounds evolved into full-blown speech, though very exaggerated. Shouting and screaming words at impossibly high speeds, his head shaking left to right and throwing his hands in the air wildly. The speech didn't make much sense either. It grew into a more common occurrence every day, and despite the sisters' efforts to stop him, there was nothing they could do, not knowing what was going through his head in the first place.

That's when he formed the Jambastion Religion.

Immediately, the three sisters were appointed as his head generals, to stand about everyone else with their overwhelming power. Wielding ice, fire, and lightning, they would be unstoppable. At first, it was all good. They were able to keep intruders out with no issues. Francisca hoped that that would last forever. But alas, one came along.

He never seemed too intimidating, he was just a mere puffball. Under that exterior though, he held power that was greatly underestimated, leading a group of four members total. Even now, she remembers the strength that had bested her. Twice, on top of that! Could anything get more embarrassing? When she found out that he had defeated both Flamberge and Zan, she has to admit, she was a tiny bit afraid of the stubby pink ball. And the next thing she knew, she was being summoned along with her sisters to Hyness' side, though it wasn't too long before he had actually _drained_ them of their life force, and Francisca didn't have much say in the matter before she went unconscious. When she woke up, she was lying on the mirror-like floors of the Divine Terminus along with her sisters and her liege, left with nothing but the feeling of pain.

There was no one to explain that, but Francisca wasn't stupid. She inferred that Hyness must've done something with them after they lost consciousness. The pink ball and his team had left by then, leaving them alone on the Divine Terminus. Few words and perhaps a glare or two going Hyness' way were exchanged before they all parted ways. Francisca remembers falling into a deep sleep for a few days, maybe even a week, but somehow the pain was gone when she awakened. It seemed that everything had gone back to normal, but Hyness had...changed. He prayed at the altar like his life depended on it, even more so than the last time. It worried the three sisters. What could have happened to him?

Francisca's wandering thoughts are interrupted by Flamberge, who had found her going about in circles. She jumps in surprise, turning to the fire mage.

"Franny? Franny! Oh, thank goodness. I've been looking everywhere for you! I was trying to talk to you for a while now, but you just spaced out on me! Are you okay?"

"Ah. My apologies. Yes, I'm fine now, thank you. What's the matter?"

"Zan's calling for us, she wants us to meet her in her room! She said it's important. I wonder what's so urgent?"

"I suppose we'll find out when we get there. Come now, Ms. Flamberge. Let us be on our way."

Knowing Zan, she'd probably get mad if they're late. Without preamble, Francisca makes for the stairs up, towards the second-highest floor (which is extremely far away), where all the members' rooms are. Flamberge follows closely, trailing behind her. 

As they're going down the long, dark hallways, turning left and then right, Flamberge stops and looks at Francisca with a concerned expression on her face. "What's up with you today? You've been acting all weird, even spacing out on me like that earlier! Is there something wrong? I'll burn whoever made you feel down, trust me!" She pumps her fist in the air, fire lightly crackling around her wavy sword.

"Ms. Flamberge, it's alright. Please don't burn anything, no one made me upset," Francisca giggles, "I've simply been thinking about things."

Flamberge cocks her head slightly. "Things? Like what?"

The ice mage sighs. "It's just...I've been worried about Lord Hyness, you see. He's been chanting more and more frequently ever since Void Termina was defeated and after we recovered from that incident. Haven't you noticed?"

"Hm...yeah! Now that you mention it, he really has been bit weird nowadays," Flamberge brings her voice to a whisper, "but he's always been super freaky ever since he got all obsessed with Void Termina. Don't tell him I said that!"

"Don't worry, Ms. Flamberge. I do somewhat agree with you after all."

As Flamberge laughs at her response, saying something about how great minds think alike, Francisca glances up at the winding staircase and the many, many flights of stairs above. She smiles, hearing Flamberge's peppy voice, and decides that the way up to their destination is still pretty long. She could afford to indulge herself in some mindless conversation with her fiery sister. However, no matter how funny Flamberge's stories may be, there's always pesky, lingering thoughts of Hyness bothering her in the corner of her mind.

She decides that those thoughts will have to wait for a while.

* * *

_"This is...nothing! Nothing at all! Something like this can't ever...possibly get to me! Franny, Zan, wait for me...I'll definitely find you, so...!""_

_Flames and meteors rapidly rain down from the smoke-darkened sky, crashing into the ground and filling the air with the sounds of destruction. It's so, so hot - the girl's spiky ruby-red hair is laced with soot and dirt, and her face covered in sweat and tears, a testimony to just how suffocating the air is. Every breath she takes seems to further burn her throat, every moment she's being blocked by the millions of falling rocks and debris. Loud booming can faintly be heard in the distance, but she doesn't care. Nothing will stop her from finding her sisters. She won't stop looking. She can't, but every part of her is screaming for her to stop resisting and to just give up. As much as she wants to ignore their warnings, the intense heat begs to differ - it wants her down as soon as possible. And though her determination still stays strong, her body does not, and the pain and fatigue soon reduce her to a weak, hobbling mess, the intense weather only serving to rub salt in the wound._

_In her powerless state, her foot carelessly trips over a mere pebble, causing her to tumble face-first to the floor. She tries to get up, body shaking, but every time she does so, she promptly falls back down, as if she can't summon the strength to stand. So be it, then. There's no way she'd ever give up, she thinks, as she drags her knees across the ground painfully. She winces, though this pain is nothing compared to what she's feeling inside. Lost, afraid, and not knowing what to do but to keep moving, she forces herself to push forward, stones in the ground digging into her hands and knees, piercing into her skin. As she uncomfortably crawls on the ground, refusing to give in, her eyes water from the heat, she feels like she's going to melt any time soon._

_The meteors are getting closer, more are falling. It's unbearably hot, scorching the girl from inside out, and the threat of getting hit by something is higher than ever. Her feet soon fail her, and her hands and knees sting so much, to the point where she can't feel the ground anymore. Again, she tries to crawl away, but this time, her body just refuses to move anymore. Everything hurts so bad. As she lay on the ground, having tried her best yet failing, liquid pools in her eyes, tears staining her cheeks. Roaring flames surround the area, and debris blocks her way in all directions. She knows that she's reached her absolute limit. There's nothing more she can do. She's going to die, and she's scared._

_She raises her head to the sky, and screams as loud as she possibly can._ _It echoes even through all of the noise from the still-ongoing disaster, but she can do no more. Her head drops back down as one by one she recalls her memories. One last tear falls out, then e_ _verything ends right here..._

_...Though, the one thing that hasn't diminished is..._

_"Oh dear god, is that you, Flamberge?!"_

_That one spark of hope. Faint, dying out, but the familiar voice lights it again._

_She'd recognize that voice anywhere, even in her dying state. She half-opens her eyes weakly, vision blurred, but she can make out the form of her dear sister and an unfamiliar face beside her._

_"Franny...?" She rasps, on the verge of completely losing her voice, "I'm sorry." Her eyes shut back down, and this time, she's definitely dead. Not even Francisca could save her, and she knows that all too well._

_"No! This can't be happening, I won't let you die! Mr. Hyness, is there anything you can do?"_

_"Jes...I believe there is a way. Step aside, would you?"_

_She hears the man saying something, but in what language? She made a mental note to ask him about it later. Is he chanting? Whatever the case, before she can ponder about anything else, there's a fuzzy feeling forming in her limbs. It's like she's in a hot spring. A comfortable heat, nothing like the torture she had just been experiencing not too long ago. What's more, she's sure her strength is returning to her - the spell seems to revitalize her body and...somehow, it doesn't feel so hot anymore. Rather, she finds that she's enjoying the weather now. The spell restores her back to her full health, and she gets up, standing to her feet after what seemed like an eternity of being forced to her hands and knees. She blinks, then smiles as she sees Francisca, who rushes into her arms and captures Flamberge in a crushing hug._

_"I missed you so much, Flamberge!!" She cries. Flamberge smiles, returning the hug with even more fervor._

_"Me too! Aw man, this is so awesome!"_

_She looks at Hyness. "Thank you...uh..."_

_"Hyness."_

_"Right! Thanks, Mr. Hyness!"_

_Francisca gets off Flamberge, helping her to her feet, before Hyness makes an audible hum._

_"Now that Flamberge has been found...the last sister would be...japologa, Francisca, what was her name again?"_

_"It's Zan Partizanne."_

_Hyness' eyes light up in recognition. "Ahh, Zan Par, jes!"_

_"I'm confused! Are we going to search for Zan, or...?"_

_"Exactly. See, Mr. Hyness had rescued me, just like he did for you. I decided to follow him so that we could find both you and Zan."_

_"It's not too late, child," Hyness says, "Would you like to join us in our search for your missing sister?"_

_Flamberge grins, determination renewed. "Whaddaya mean, 'would you like to'? Of course I wanna! Count me in! C'mon, let's go already!"_

_"Ah--wait! Geez, Flamberge...!" As Francisca chases her fiery sister, who's running ahead, excited to get going, Hyness observes the two. Though they haven't noticed it yet, he sees faint but noticeable trails of fire that follow Flamberge, stray flames lingering around her. Interesting...so she does possess a hidden potential for fire magic._

* * *

Not even Zan's stern voice is enough to cut through Flamberge's train of thought. She wonders why she's thinking of _that day_ now, of all times. Whatever. Hyness has been acting crazier than ever before, but now that Flamberge thinks about it, when has Hyness ever _not_ been odd enough. When she was first saved, which she's still very thankful for, mind you, Hyness was very normal. A kind traveler. But ever since he had found out about that stupid deity he calls the 'Dark Lord', he's become even more peculiar! Waving his hands wildly, randomly screaming incomprehensible streams of sentences, as well as having incredibly irregular outbursts, he was never the same. Flamberge describes as it as the 'freak descent", much to her darling Franny's amusement. Still, though, Flamberge would've helped Hyness if she knew what was going on with him before he grew obsessed with the 'Dark Lord', which she later found out actually had a name, Void Termina. What's so good about this dumb 'lord' anyway? Flamberge never understood, and to this day she still doesn't.

Ugh, that stubby little pink nuisance...! Even when Hyness had very blatantly _abused_ she and her sisters, rendering them unconscious as he flung their bodies around like ragdolls. Flamberge didn't know what exactly had happened, since that ball... _Kirby_ , rather, though she refuses to call him by name - and his friends had left the Divine Terminus by the time they awakened. She was surprised to see that Hyness was lying with them, and the aftermath wasn't too good. Only angry looks and perhaps a bit of grumbling, shared between all three sisters, were aimed at their clearly corrupted liege, then they left and headed back to their own quarters to recover and get some rest. Flamberge could totally testify that the pain they felt when they regained consciousness had been immense. Her head, especially, had hurt the most, and she was sure that her death glare towards Hyness burned the most. How dare he!! If he hurt Zan or HER Franny again, liege or not, she'll roast him so bad beyond the point of no return! She won't let her sisters get hurt, not while SHE's around! No way in hell!

"FLAMBERGE!"

The leader of the Three Mage Sisters' irritated shout, directed to her specifically, forces her out of her musings. She yelps in surprise, eyes widening upon seeing Zan's very cross expression. She whimpers and shrinks back a little, knowing what's about to happen next the moment Zan opens her mouth. "Geez...pay attention, would you?! I say, you've haven't been listening to me for the past 10 minutes or so."

Flamberge waves her hands wildly in panic. "O-oh! Sorry, Zan, I was too caught up in my own thoughts about stuff. Japologa vun!"

Zan sighs. "I swear, Flamberge...it's fine, but do pay attention next time." She raises an eyebrow upon hearing Francisca giggle. "What's so funny?"

"It's nothing. I simply enjoy watching my dear sisters is all."

"Lord Hyness had requested us not to mention our relationship during work hours. I suppose that is unfortunate, but his word is absolute." There's a pang of sadness in Zan's voice, but neither Francisca nor Flamberge pay attention to it. Flamberge rolls her eyes. She doesn't care about such rules. If she's got nicknames, she's going to call her sisters by those names, and no one's going to stop her! She quickly snaps the afterthought out of her head and tunes back in to the conversation, the next thing she hears being Francisca's voice.

"Apologies, it seems that I've forgotten. Well then, is there anything else we should hear from this meeting?"

"Well, yes. As you should probably know, Lord Hyness has been chanting a lot more often than I've seen before. From my observations, this seems to have had happened not too long after our defeat at the stubby pink ball's hands."

Flamberge smirks, a playful grin on her face. She loves teasing people, especially her sisters. "Does he even have _hands_ , though?"

A roll of the eyes is all she gets back. "Now's not the time to joke around, Flamberge. This is serious."

"Yeah, yeah, I getcha! So, what were you saying?"

" _Anyway_ , as I mentioned, the thing that worries me the most is Lord Hyness' recent behavior. He hasn't stopped to eat, sleep, or take a break. It's like he hasn't left the Divine Terminus at all, and when I approach him to make reports on our missions, sometimes he barely acknowledges me, he'd just nod and continue praying like I'm not there. What on earth has happened?"

"It certainly is worrying," Francisca hums thoughtfully, "we probably shouldn't pry, however. That might spell bad consequences for us--"

As soon as the sentence leaves Francisca's mouth, the entire base begins to shake. It starts off mild, but it's getting more violent by the second. The three gasp in unison, hurrying out the door. Zan's the most worried out of all of them.

"W-what is this?! Lord Hyness!" She zips off, leaving behind her two dumbfounded sisters, who stare at each other for a few seconds.

"What just happened?" Flamberge doesn't understand exactly what's going on. She can't believe this is happening right after she got a dressing down from Zan! Did Hyness do something stupid again?! _"I swear..._ " she thinks, taking a moment to look around, upset upon seeing Francisca's worried expression. _"if HE thinks he can get away with worrying MY Franny, he's got another thing coming!"_ She abruptly grabs Francisca's hand, already racing up the long flight of stairs that leads to the Divine Terminus. By now, the shaking's gotten even worse, and the closer Flamberge gets to the Terminus, the stronger the rumbling gets. It must be the cause of the sudden 'earthquake'. Well, it isn't an earthquake per say, but to Flamberge, it resembles one.

"Ms. Flamberge, please hurry!" She looks over her shoulder and is met with a slightly distressed Francisca. "We should quickly meet up with Zan and see what's going on."

"I know, I know!"

They go slightly faster, going up the winding stairs. They never let their hands go, and Flamberge smiles to herself at her little observation. After a little while more, they reach the altar, and the first thing she notices is that Zan isn't moving. She and Francisca go over to Zan, whose hands are held over her mouth in shock, eyes wide. Flamberge waves a hand in front of her face.

"Earth to Zan...? Are you okay?"

"Look." Zan slowly points straight ahead, prompting Flamberge and Francisca to glance forward. And what they're met with...is an absolute _mess_.

A large, star-shaped vortex stands before them, suspended in the air and glowing a combination of deep purple and a bright aqua blue. The Terminus, instead of its usual appearance, seems to have transformed into a kind of crystal arena, reflective floors creating ripples with every step. Sapphire-colored crystals float in various weird angles all over the place. Above them, an assortment of galaxies and planets hang in the blue and black map-like sky, numerous stars shining against the bright blue mirror ground. The most notable thing, however, is that not only is the Jamba Heart not present, Hyness is nowhere to be found.

"Woah...what is this?" Flamberge asks, looking around in wonder. "What should we do?"

"There's only one thing. Francisca, Flamberge. We have to look for Lord Hyness. It's the only thing we can do right now. We _must_ find Lord Hyness. There's no time to dawdle." Zan pulls out her partisan, crackling with electricity, and floats towards the vortex.

Francisca looks at Flamberge hesitantly, and Flamberge does the same. Zan's already making her way in. Bringing out her labrys, Francisca grips the handle of the icy weapon and makes her way towards the portal. Flamberge is the last of the three to do so. She brandishes her own flamberge, looking at the wavy-bladed sword, and sighs.

"No more hesitation. Let's go!"

And as she steps into the strange vortex, a bright burst of colors envelop her vision.

* * *

_"So...this is that rumored tower? Doesn't look like anything special to me."_

_Adjusting her cap, a troubled girl looks up to a tall tower, storm clouds gathered over the top and threateningly flashing with lightning. "What other choice do I have, though? The only thing I can do...is to climb."_

_With that thought in mind, she walks up the road to the building, the heavy leaves of the trees planted along the path seemingly looming over her. Flashbacks of her once-happy life appear in her head, one flipping to the next like in a children's picture book. Her father, her mother, her sisters. All of that's gone now. She glances back up at the tower that's often spoken of. She's heard her friends talking about it. According to their words, it has a life of its own, striking anyone who climbs to the top with fierce bolts of lightning from the dark clouds above that never seem to clear. While knowing that it's a horrible idea, she convinces herself that it's too late to turn away. Plus, what could be as bad as having lost everything she once loved?_

_When she gets to the entrance, she gets a glimpse of how tall the tower truly is. It's even more menacing to see the thunder from directly below, but she doesn't shy away from it. Pushing open the heavy wooden doors with a loud creak, she takes a deep breath, already fully aware that she could get seriously hurt in her climb, and having accepted that there's no reason for her to not climb, she takes her first step onto the long, winding flight of stairs. It's an incredibly tedious climb up, but she observes the tower's interior as she moves higher. On the lower floors, it's almost pitch-black and lifeless. The only things that light up the path up are elegant heart-shaped lamps that line the walls, their vibrant yellow color the same shade as the girl's hair, and their light, strangely, never dims._

_As the girl climbs higher, though, it's significantly brighter as she gets closer to her goal. She can hear the sound of faint crackling that gets more prominent, and after another long while of enjoying the tower's intricate designs, she does eventually reach the top. She looks up, seeing the clouds ominously hanging from the sky right above her. Flashes of light can be seen even clearer than before, and when she takes a few moments to scan her surroundings on the top of the tower itself, she notices a ledge that slightly extends out of the ground and ends dangerously above open air. To her, there's nothing else that's particularly significant besides some rather complex designs engraved in the stone floor. The ledge undoubtedly caught her interest more than anything else. Anyone could just fall to their death on such a precarious platform._

_That's when the thought hits her. Is this the true purpose of the tower, to bring sweet peace to anyone who climbs it? If that's the case, then..._

_"If I could just..." she slowly moves toward the ledge, looking down at the ground below her. She's sure that anyone who plummets to the ground from such an extreme height is guaranteed eternal rest. She shifts even closer to the edge. One more step would certainly end it at her position. "if I fell here...what would happen? There's nothing left for me. Nothing. Everything might as well end here..."_

_The deep sound of thunder rumbling suddenly gets louder as the thought crosses her mind, prompting her to look to the sky, but nothing different's happening. She shrugs it off, returning to what she was going to do. She takes a deep breath, inching towards the very end of the platform, and soon there's nothing but air under her--_

_**ZAP!!!** _

_The moment she's off that ledge, a large bolt of lightning comes crashing directly on her, instantly frying her inside-out. It's as if she's getting hit by a truck. She can't even scream, and her senses are numbed all at once as the sheer force of the electricity painfully runs through her body. Her fingers spasm uncomfortably, and even when the sudden thunderbolt dissipates as quickly and suddenly as it had struck, the pain doesn't leave her. She can only helplessly fall to the ground. The bolt had struck and charred her to the core, badly ripping her clothing, leaving her hair disheveled, and cutting short her breath. When she lands on the grass after what seems like an eternity, she coughs violently, the deadly combination of being hit full-force by a sudden and intense electrical discharge having overwhelmed her._

_Accepting that there's nothing she can do anymore, she doesn't cry. No matter how much her body hurt now, the anguish she's feeling can't even lay a finger on the torment of the day she lost everything. Her family, her home, her happy days - all of it. The grief she felt that day can't be touched by anything else, not even the agonizing stray electricity in her body from the lightning._

_"This is fine," she thinks, "it's perfectly okay. There's no hope for me anyway..."_

_She musters the last remaining bits of strength to let a small smile form. Thinking of her sisters makes her feel a little better, and her eyes shut closed. "I'm sorry, Fran, Berge..."_

_Drawing her last breath, her ears manage to pick up on some faint voices. People...? No, that's not possible..._

_As it turns out, it IS possible. She doesn't see who it is, but she can hear them. They sound a lot closer now. It doesn't matter, though, she's about to die anyway._

_"Lord Hyness, please hurry! Zan is..."_

_"Jes, I've got her, don't worry."_

_Huh...? These voices...they sound awfully familiar, but from where...?_

_"Awright! Don't worry, Zan, you'll be all better in a jiffy, so hang in there!"_

_She can't quite put her finger around it, but just as she thinks she's gone for real this time and that there's no way anyone could save her now, the most unfamiliar voice begins to speak in the strangest way in a language she doesn't recognize at all, repeating a single sentence over and over. She's about to scoff internally, but soon feels a comforting sensation taking over her, wiping her body free of any traces of the lightning she was hit by earlier. Slowly, she regains her strength, and when she unconsciously hums in pleasure, she realizes that the spell has given back her voice. When the warmth leaves her and the spell wears off, she sits back up, looking around, confused._

_"What am I...? Why am I still alive?" Looking around, her eyes widen upon seeing Flamberge and Francisca, who are smiling in relief with tears of joy in their eyes. They rush towards her and glomp her in unison._

_"Zan, you're okay! I missed you so much!!" Flamberge sobs, embrace tightening. Zan doesn't know how to respond, so she simply nods._

_"We were so worried!" Francisca does the same thing, nearly crushing Zan. Hyness watches, chuckling and floating over._

_"It's such a relief to see you. I'm very jhappy that you're okay!" He smiles. Zan's never seen him. Is he the one who saved her?_

_"T-thank you, sir," Zan stutters as her sisters let go of her, allowing her to properly stand. "I thought I'd lost Fran and Berge forever..."_

_"You know what, Zan?!" Flamberge exclaims excitedly. "He was the one who rescued both Franny and I! Amazing, isn't it?"_

_An immediate bow. "Thank you very much...um...pardon me, but what's your name, sir?"_

_"Just Hyness will do, jamanke."_

_She tries again. "Thank you very much, Sir Hyness, for rescuing my sisters and I! I am indebted to you."_

_"No problem," Hyness smiles, "though, it doesn't seem like you have a home to stay in. Would you like to come with me? You can stay in my ship, if you want."_

_"Yes, please!" Zan's eyes sparkle in happiness, the offer too enticing for her to resist. They don't have a place to stay anyway, so she immediately accepts._

_"Well then, please follow me. The ship is just this way."_

_As Hyness turns around to lead the sisters to his spaceship, he looks towards Zan again, and notices small sparks of electricity crackling around her. He nods, then continues in the direction of the ship, the sisters following closely behind him while eagerly chatting away. So, all three have magical abilities...how intriguing. He'll help them hone their powers when he has the chance, he decides._

* * *

Zan lightly slaps herself to bring her back into the present world. Why'd she reminisce about that day now, of all times? She finds it funny. Nonetheless, as she looks left and right, she realizes that more thoughts and questions are flooding her head. She's just watching Francisca and Flamberge solve a puzzle, so she supposes she could afford to be lost in her thoughts this time.

Loyal as she may be, more often than not, she can't help but be worried for her lord's health. After his first 'contact' with the 'Dark Lord', Void Termina, he'd significantly changed. Though when Zan first met him he was a kind, compassionate traveling mage, he was never the same once Void Termina came into his life. Shooting the sisters cold looks, which he never did, suddenly and instantly switching from a distant, calculating personality to an absolutely insane one, increasing desperation to contact Void Termina again, loudly snorting. Occasionally, he'd talk non-stop and so fast she can't comprehend what he's saying, he'd rapidly fling his arms here and there. She and her siblings could only watch as his health rapidly deteriorated, stained by his desire to meet Void Termina once more. It hurt Zan.

The Hyness that currently prays day and night at the altar is not the one she once knew, and despite knowing just how harshly he treats the three now, she refuses to give up her loyalty. She had sworn to repay her debt to him for saving her, Francisca and Flamberge, and she doesn't plan to betray that promise any time soon. When he had formed the Jambastion Religion, and when they were selected as head generals of the religion, Zan never once faltered in her work. She carries out her missions flawlessly, and when she's with her sisters, they don't ever lose. Never. But that stubby pink thing just HAD to ruin it, having been defeated by him not once, but twice, even before Hyness had sacrificed them to the Jamba Heart. He'd requested for them to team up and be allies on multiple occasions, but Zan thought it was ridiculous. He did save them from Void Termina, though - that, combined with her tendency to always repay debts and the many alliance offers, had Zan thinking. Maybe, just _maybe_ , they could get along.

Everything changed after the clash with Void Termina. Hyness's prayers have become even more frequent, to a worrying degree, and he chants like his life depends on it. He doesn't stop for anything, not even to eat or sleep. Zan couldn't take it anymore, and consulted Francisca and Flamberge about it. Shortly after she had brought up the topic with them, the base suddenly started shaking, and she, worried for Hyness, had gone ahead to the Divine Terminus, which was the source of the quake. There, she had seen a truly frightening thing. A vortex to another dimension. Even she didn't know where it led, or how to respond. She only knew that she had to find Hyness. Together with her sisters, she entered through the vortex, and had been looking for him ever since.

"Zan? You with us?" Flamberge waves her hand in Zan's face, disturbing her thoughts. She lets out a shocked yelp.

"Fl-Flamberge? Please don't scare me like that next time!"

"You were spacing out, though!"

"Hmph," Zan just grumpily huffs in defeat, having nothing to say in reply, "whatever. In any case," she looks around the unfamiliar space, where everything seems to be twisted in all sorts of ways. Shapes made of some strange energy decorate the sky, and the ground they're standing on glows a bright orange, constantly moving in a wavy motion within. A very strange place indeed.

"I believe our first priority should be finding our way out of here. It's unlikely that Lord Hyness is anywhere here," Francisca observes and slowly nods her head. Zan's already going ahead, eager to find her liege.

"What are we waiting for, then? Let us go forth!"

It's truly a bizarre place. Oftentimes, the three would find themselves trying to figure out how to complete a puzzle to move on, and some are especially hard, with their complex layouts and vague objectives. Not only that, but no matter how many they complete, they still can't find Hyness. Zan's getting more worried with every puzzle they finish. What could have _happened_...?

"Ms. Flamberge, would you move that block, please?"

"Right on it!" After a short while, grunts of effort could be heard. "Hnngh...stupid thing!! I can't," Flamberge's voice is strained as she pushes with all her might, but to no avail, "move the damn thing! Jamblasted, what should I do now?!"

Zan watches as Flamberge struggles to push a large block that cuts off their path. She sighs in exasperation, then makes her way over to her sister's side. "I'll give you a hand," she puts her hands on the block, "now, push!" The combined strength of Zan and Flamberge's effort seems to be enough, as at last the object moves, hitting the switch on the floor and opening the door on the other side. Flamberge grins.

"Oh yeah! Thanks, Zan!" Flamberge beams, the gratitude written all over face as she chortles at her own inability to _push a freaking block_.

The lightning mage ignores her laugh and makes a small, audible noise of acknowledgement. Francisca giggles at the interaction before turning to Zan. "Shall we get going, then?" She gestures to the now-open door. Zan only whips out her partisan, a look of determination on her face as she looks through the door, where their next puzzle awaits them.

"Of course. We must find Lord Hyness; we cannot and will not fail."

There's no way they'll lose. It's just the start of their quest in this unknown, brand-new world, after all, and she won't let anything stop them. Not if she, the one and only Zan Partizanne, can help it. Onward!

* * *

Many things have happened ever since then. The Three Mage Sisters were swallowed up by a dark power, and tore down everything in their way using their newfound strength. When they had finally found Hyness, they were ecstatic, though Zan was the happiest of them all, but there, they were met with Kirby himself, much to Flamberge's rage. Wishing to pay their debt to Hyness once and for all, they battled Kirby and his team with all their might, yet it was still not enough to defeat the puffy pink creature.

Much to Kirby's surprise, however, the many Friend Hearts he'd collected on his journey through the dimension merged into one huge heart, and he already knew who he wanted to throw it at. When he tossed the large heart at the Sisters, it restored them to their normal colors. Initially they were confused, but upon clarifying that Kirby had been the one to save him, they made a collective decision to help out, and their prayers returned the area to its usual appearance, as well as summoned a Warp Star. Beckoning Kirby and friends to ride it, they did so, but not before waving at the mages, who happily waved back. The Warp Star left a tiny Friend Heart behind upon flying away, floating down to Hyness and returning him to normal, much to the Mage Sisters' relief.

It was then that they had decided to pay a visit to Popstar once Hyness had fully recovered, and Kirby was delighted when they did so. From then on, they became good friends and powerful allies to Kirby, helping out and joining his adventures in protecting Popstar from any imminent threats. Zan would never admit it, but at last, being able to repay her debt to Kirby for saving them, and with her sisters (and Hyness) by her side, she couldn't feel any more secure.

I suppose you can call it 'the happiest ending', because truly, she can't possibly be any happier.

**Author's Note:**

> That was way more fun to write that I'd expected *^*  
> Dear god, I love the Mage Sisters so much, but perhaps that's why? Maybe. Hmm...
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading, and see you soon~!


End file.
